Massage brush and handle



ug 23 w49 o; w. HOLD-EN 2,480,097

MASSAGE BRUSH AND HANDLE Filed June lO, 1948 L Y' Y JNVENTOR. 2a g2b# ///Ofeiz/ e0/Wi 1 liu if BY L 36 my 35 Patented Aug. 23, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE MASSAGE BRUSH AND HANDLE Orlol W. Holden, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Knickerbocker Rubber Company, doing business as Knickerbocker Rubber Company, Not Inc., Chicago, lll., a partnership Application .lune l0, 1948, Serial No. 32,079

(Cl. 12S-67) 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to portable bath sprays and particularly to massage brushes for use therewith.

Massage brushes of this type, as constructed heretofore, were capable of application only to parts of the body that were within reach of the user. There has been a need for a massage brush having a handle whereby one can apply the brush to ones own back, for example. It is desirable also that the handle of the brush should not interfere with the normal use of the brush on other parts of the body.

An object of the present invention is to increase the utility of massage brushes of the bath spray type by providing such a brush with a novel handle attachment enabling the brush to be applied by the user to otherwise inaccessible parts of the body and also to make provision for the water hose being optionally connected to or disconnected from the spray head as desired during this operation.

Another object is to provide a. sturdy and novel portable bath spray set including a hose, a spray head equipped with a, massage brush, and a handle, all of said parts being adapted for ready attachment to and detachment from one another in various combinations as desired.

A further object is t adapt a bath Spray head and massage brush for attachment optionally to a handle, to a hose, or to both the handle and the hose.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the handle is mounted on a hollow threaded coupling adapted to interconnect the spray head and the hose. The coupling is so formed that it does not impair the utility of the spray head in any way, and it enables otherwise inaccessible parts of the body to be reached with ease for spraying and/or massaging the same.

The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent as the description of the invention proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a completely assembled bath spray set constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partially sectional side elevational view of the spray head and massage brush unit assembled on the hose, with the handle detached therefrom;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the spray head and the massage brush unit detached from 2 both the handle and the hose so that this unit may be used for dry massaging; and

Fig, 5 is a side elevational view of the spray head, massage brush and handle combination for dry massaging normally inaccessible parts of the body.

In practicing the invention, a brush handle is mounted on a threaded coupling member having at one end thereof a female portion for receiving the male connector of the spray head and at its other end a male portion receivable in the female connector of the hose. The spray head is provided with a rubber massage brush and may be connected either directly or through the medium of the handle coupling to the hose, as preferred by the user. The handle may be swung about on the coupling to suit the convenience of the user. The spray head and massage brush also may be used separately as a unit or attached to the handle for dry massaging purposes.

Referring now to the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 shows a portion of a water hose Ill provided with a female tting or lconnector I2 in one end thereof. The handle I4, which may be formed oi stiff wire, is mounted on a hollow coupling or connector IG which is provided with an annular groove to receive a loop I8 in the handle I4. A clip 20 on the handle I4 holds the loop I8 tightly on the coupling I 6 so that there is sufficient friction to hold the handle I4 in place yet permit it to be swung if desired. The coupling I6 has an externally threaded male portion 22 receivable in the female hose connector I2, and it also has an internally threaded female portion 24 adapted to receive the male threaded connector portion 2B of the bath spray head 28. Thus, the spray head 28. massage brush 3l), handle I4 and hose I0 may be assembled together as a combination, Figs. 1 and 2, whereby the spray from the head 28 can be directed toward normally inaccessible parts of the body and the brush 30 can be applied thereto by the use of the handle I'4.

The massage brush proper, 30, is made of suitable resilient material such as rubber which is mounted on the spray head 28. Water from the hose IE! issues through a concave perforated plate 32 in the head 23 and through perforations 34 in the brush 3l). Interspersed among the perforations 34 are integral nubs or projections 35S which extend from the base of the brush 30. Preferably the nubs 36 are formed as disclosed and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 29,682, filed May 28, 1948, for the most eiecrtive massaging action. Thus, each nub 35 terminates 3 at its outer end in a cluster of thin resilient tips or lingers 38 which readily ilex when the brush 30 is applied to the body with a massaging action. The effect on the skin is stimulating and pleasant with this type of brush construction.

If it is desired to use the massage brush and spray head in the usual manner Without the handle I4, .the coupling I6 is unscrewed from the hose connector I2, and the spray head is unscrewed from the coupling I6. The male portion 26 of the spray head 28 then is screwed into the hose connector I2 as shown in Fig. 3. If the spray head 28 and the massage brush 30 are to be used separately as a unit for dry massaging, as shown in Fig. 4, the head 28 1s unscrewed from the hose I0.

It may be desirable to use the brush with the handle on it for dry massaging the back or other parts of the body. In this case the coupling I6 is detached from the hose I0, and the spray head 28 remains screwed in the coupling I6, as shown in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that I have provided an extremely versatile implement of simple construction which can be manufactured cheaply and easily. Modifications can, of course, be made in the illustrated structure without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended that .all such modifications shall be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a bath spray set including a spray head and a hose respectively provided with a threaded male member and a threaded female member adapted for direct intcrengagement with each other, the combination of a hollow coupling member adapted to be interposed between and to connect together the hose and the spray head, said coupling member having threaded female and male portions respectively complementary to the male and female members of the spray head and the hose, and a handle mounted on said coupling member and extending therefrom whereby the spray head can be applied by the user to other- Wise inaccessible parts of the users body.

2. A handle for a bath spray set comprising a hollow tubular coupling and an arm extending from said coupling at an angle to the axis of said coupling, said coupling including an annular eX- terior groove and at least one threaded end portion for connection to said bath spray set, said arm being lformed of rigid wire including a loop positioned in said groove and frictionally gripping sadcoupling to permit rotation of said arm with respect to said coupling about said groove.

ORLOFF W. HOLDEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 565,408 Foley Aug. 4, 189e` .1,159,503 Knickerbocker Nov. 9, 1915 1,484,215 Goldberg Feb. 19, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 11,430 Great Britain o 1901 

